


Don't Play With Magic

by meowmeowsamurai



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Castiel (Supernatural) is Not Okay, Deaf Character, Denial of Feelings, Discussion of environmental issues, Environmental issues, F/F, F/M, Familiars, Families of Choice, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Google Translated Greek, Google Translated Russian, Human Castiel, Hurt Castiel, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Lesbian Character, M/M, Magic User Castiel, Magic-Users, Magical Accidents, Medicinal Herbs, Not Really Character Death, Not Wiccan, One-Sided Attraction, Openly Bisexual Dean Winchester, Openly Gay Castiel (Supernatural), POV Castiel (Supernatural), Reduce Reuse Recycle, Russian Castiel (Supernatural), Sign Language, True Love's Kiss, Unrequited Love, Use of medicinal herbs, Vegan Castiel (Supernatural), Vegetarians & Vegans, Witch Castiel, almost major character death, meg is a cat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-01-12 12:27:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18446546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meowmeowsamurai/pseuds/meowmeowsamurai
Summary: Castiel is a witch who owns a natural health store. He despises Dean Winchester, who often comes in with his brother, Sam. He has no regard for either his health or the environment. When Castiel and his two closest friends get high, one night, they come up with a plan to ruin Dean's life. Because Dean knowingly destroys the earth, which is dear to Castiel, they decide to cast a curse to destroy the one thing Dean loves most. Castiel gets frustrated when he thinks that the spell failed. That is, until he becomes ill.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I want to start off by saying that I'm not Wiccan, I am probably to furthest thing from it since I'm Christian. The practices of magic users in this fic are not meant to reflect actual Wiccan practices, as I know nothing about them. This is stuff that I literally made up. Do not take it for fact and please don't take it seriously. My intention is not to offend anyone. I just wanna write a fan fic. So. I also want to add that I do not speak Russian or Greek. All of the Russian and Greek in this fic is stuff I got out of google translate. Feel free to correct me. Onwards, then!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean follows Sam into a natural health store and, unexpectedly, falls in love.

### Prologue: When Dean Fell In Love

"Sammy, why are you dragging me here?" Dean complained as Sam pushed open the door to _The Gift of Plants_ , a natural remedies store.

"Because, Dean, I promised Eileen that I'd pick up some echinacea. We just ran out because of that cold that she had a few weeks ago. This won't take long and then we can go to lunch. Okay?"

"Fine," Dean sighed loudly. He followed Sam to the far wall of the store where containers full of various dried herbs, all labeled, were housed. Sam selected an amber jar from the shelf below and began to fill it with echinacea. When he was done, he labeled it with the marker provided.

"Sam, how are you today?" said a deep, gravelly voice to Dean's left. He turned and momentarily forget how to breathe. Beside him stood the most beautiful man Dean had ever seen before. He had messy raven hair and a sharp, stubbled jawline. He wore loose hemp clothing, in earth tones, that still managed to show off his strong build. To top it all off, he had bright blue eyes that entranced Dean.

"I'm doing well, Castiel. Eileen just came off a cold so we need to restock our echinacea. How are things with you?" Sam asked, politely.

"Things are well with me. I've just begun carrying a local, organic honey. It would be wonderful in a tea, if Eileen is still having problems with her throat," Castiel shifted his gaze over to Dean, "And who's this?"

"Oh!" Sam exclaimed, "This is my older brother, Dean. Dean, this is Castiel, the store's owner."

"It's nice to meet you," Dean said, holding out his hand to shake. Lightning raced up his arm as Castiel gripped his hand.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Castiel shifted his intense gaze back to Sam, "I hope you find everything you're looking for, Sam. Let me know if there's anything else you need." He turned a disappeared into a back room.

"Wow," Dean breathed.

Sam snorted, "Dean, please. He's not your type, trust me. And neither are you his."

"Oh, come on, Sam. He's _hot_!"

"Whatever, Dean. Let me just get this stuff and we can get out of here."

"Yeah, sure," Dean agreed. He followed Sam up to the counter where Castiel was busy clicking around on a computer and writing down notes in a beaten up journal. He looked up as they approached.

"Are you ready to check out, Sam?" he asked.

Dean zoned out as they handled the transaction. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed pamphlets on _Living Waste Free_ , _The Effects of Animal Agriculture on Our Environment_ , and _Veganism For Beginners_. He pick up the one about animal agriculture and snorted when he read about how "the cattle industry is a major cause of climate change". He didn't notice Castiel's glare at his reaction to the ridiculous pamphlet.

_Dean began tagging along with Sam whenever he visited The Gift of Plants, which was often. He always endeavored to see Castiel at least once a week. He was undeterred by the fact that Castiel was less than receptive to him. As time wore on, it became clearer and clearer that he was in deep. He'd fallen in love._


	2. Chapter 1: A Brilliant Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel, Gabriel, and Balthazar come up with a brilliant plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's taken me forever to get around to doing this. However, AP tests are over, finals are over, my ACT test is nearly past. This means that it is summer, and I don't have dumb homework assignments to do (except for my AP Lit project but I have two months to do that), so I have more time to devote to this. I've been writing on and off on this chapter since April and I have a pretty cohesive outline, I think. It's just been difficult to find the time to sit down and actually write. I hope I can get some sort of schedule going here but no promises. I don't know how many chapters this is going to end up being. We'll just have to hang on for the ride! I hope this chapter was worth the wait! And thank you for all the kind comments I received on the first chapter! They're really helping to motivate me. I've honestly never felt that my work was good enough to warrant praise before so it's nice. :) Without further ado, enjoy!

### Chapter 1: A Brilliant Plan

Castiel looked up as the bell to the front door of the shop jingled, alerting him to the arrival of a new customer. He smothered a groan when he realized that it was the Winchesters. Sam was just fine. Castiel enjoyed their conversations and certainly enjoyed him as a customer since he and his fiancee were regulars. Unfortunately, his older brother, Dean, often came with him to the shop. They always stop in when they go to lunch together, which is quite often.

The problem is that Dean is, quite literally, the worst person Castiel knows. Sure, he's easy on the eyes. In fact, Castiel admired him when he first stepped into the shop, until he noticed his leather boots. The snort he gave when he saw the veganism pamphlets Castiel left out on the check out counter just cemented Castiel's dislike.

It quickly became obvious that Dean holds no regard for the environment, animals, or his health. He spoke loudly about how he didn't like Sam's "damn rabbit food", he didn't understand why Sam preferred homemade, natural remedies to OTC medicines, and he doesn't "give a shit about this damn hippie crap". However, Dean had always been cordial to Castiel when they were face-to-face. Castiel had often caught Dean checking him out, and Dean was always quick to try and start a conversation with Castiel whenever he walked over to see if Sam and Dean needed any help. Castiel never indulged him beyond what was required of him as a business owner.

Today, Sam and Dean were over in the bulk herb section, where amber jars of varying size could be filled with herbs. Sam was filling jars based on a list he carried while Dean took it upon himself to sniff every single different type of herb. Castiel rolled his eyes at Dean's behavior, of course. 

Castiel began to make his way over to do his helpful shopkeeper routine, and to also catch up with Sam about how he and Eileen are doing. As he got closer he heard Dean talking about how he doesn't understand why Sam spends extra money on living sustainably. Sam was calmly trying to explain to his pig-headed brother how being eco-friendly saves him money.

As Castiel edged around a shelf full of locally sourced honey from Cain's farm he began to hear more clearly what Dean was saying, "-straw thing is a little ridiculous. How bad can a damn straw be, Sammy?"

"Straws are actually a major contributor to plastic waste, particularly in ocean ecosystems where animals are at risk of being hurt by plastic," Castiel said, butting into their conversation. Dean jumped and spun around, startled to hear Castiel's voice from behind him. His face noticeably softened as he took in Castiel's countenance. Castiel didn't notice Sam rolling his eyes at his brother's reaction to his crush's appearance.

"I was not aware of that, Cas. Thanks for letting me know," Dean said, grinning, eyes still fixed on Castiel's face.

"We literally have this conversation every time we go out to eat somewhere," Sam said from behind his brother.

Dean's gaze drifted downwards, taking in Castiel's attire.

"Lawrence Area Environmental Group, huh, Cas?" Dean asked, referring to Castiel's choice of t-shirt for the day.

"Yes, being environmentally conscious is something that is important to me," Castiel explained."

"Well, that's good, I guess."

Castiel looked away from Dean, "Sam, how are you and Eileen?"

"We're doing alright. Eileen has started sponsoring an environmental club at the school so that the kids can learn about environmental issues," Sam replied.

"That's wonderful!"

Conversation carried on like this for several more minutes, with Dean remaining silent, oddly enough, before the three men migrated to the check out counter so Castiel could ring Sam up. Castiel enjoyed these conversations with Sam. The man was an environmental law attorney and, as such, was very knowledgable and well informed on environmental issues and recent legislation. Dean could be rather annoying because of his rather blatant disregard for the environment, but Castiel tended to ignore him anyway, so it was alright.

After the two men left, Castiel began preparing to close shop for the day. He flipped the sign at the front of the store around, locked the door, and lit a smudge stick, placing it in a bowl on the counter. Considering it was a Friday, Castiel had plans with his two closest friends, Gabriel and Balthazar. The three men had been friends for many years, having grown up together. Their mothers were friends and all three were witches. They had handed down their knowledge of magic to their sons who grew up practicing together.

They each practiced a different sort of magic. Since Castiel's mother grew up in Russia before moving to the United States when she was pregnant with Castiel, she and her son practiced Slavic magic. Gabriel practiced trickster magic, which Castiel thought suited him quite well. Because Balthazar and his mother were British, their magic was English in origin.

They all knew several witches in their area. They're a rather tight-knit group, actually. However, Castiel was closest with Balth and Gabe. The others were the Macleods: Crowley and Rowena, Andrea Lafitte, and the Banes twins and their mother.

Castiel turned out the lights when he was done counting up the till, and locked the back door to the shop behind him. He grabbed his bike and rode the two miles back home, so he could prepare before the others arrived at his home for their usual Friday night activities.

As soon as he stepped through the door, Meg began rubbing against Castiel's ankles, staking her claim on her owner after a day apart from him. He reached down and rubbed between her ears, just as she likes, and Meg began to purr loudly. Castiel smiled at his beloved pet and moved into the kitchen to put out her dinner for her.

While Meg was busy in the kitchen, Castiel moved to the living room to put out the jar he keeps his weed and papers in, along with an ashtray, several candles, and an incense holder. Balth and Gabe would be providing the snacks.

Just as Castiel was finishing set up, the front door burst open in a flurry of noise and chaos that often followed Gabe and Balth. They long since stopped knocking, if there was a time they ever did.

"Cassie, darling," Balthazar greeted, kissing Castiel on the cheek.

"Cassie!" yells Gabriel, throwing his arms around his two friends. Castiel just sighs and grips his friends in response.

"It's good to see you both," Castiel says, "I've had a long day."

"Anything we can do to help maybe?'' Gabriel asks.

"No, don't worry about it. It's just the same old shit."

"Darling, excuse me, but what exactly is 'The same old shit'?" Balthazar asks.

Castiel leads his friends to the couch and sits down, pulling his weed closer to him. He'll need to smoke a bit before he feels in control enough of his own emotions to talk about how he's beginning to get fed up with Dean Winchester.

Gabe and Balth take it in stride and they join in on the toking enthusiastically. They don't begin to prompt Cas to discuss his troubles until after the second joint and well into the third.

Castiel sighs and lays his head in Balthazar's lap, "I have these customers, right? They're brothers. One of them is really great. He's an environmental law attorney, he and his fiancee have just gone vegan, and he's environmentally conscious. His brother, though, comes in with him a lot. He's always wearing leather boots and a ridiculous leather jacket and complaining about how his younger brother lives just because he thinks it's all dumb. I'm starting to get fed up with him, constantly disrespecting the environment and the people around him. He's gorgeous and that just makes it so much worse."

Balthazar's fingers continue carding through Castiel's wild hair while he and Gabe consider their responses. Gabe speaks first, "Let's curse him."

Castiel sits up abruptly, pulling Balthazar's hands away from him, "What?"

"You know," Balthazar starts, "That's not a half bad idea. I came across a curse awhile back in one of my mother's old books. It's a curse that doesn't target the cursed directly, but rather whatever it is they love the most. It slowly destroys the object of their affection, forcing the cursed to sit by and watch it happen."

"That's perfect!" Gabriel pipes up, "Cassie loves the earth and nature more than anything, right?"-Castiel nods-"So let's give this guy a taste of his own medicine! He's gonna destroy our planet, so we'll destroy whatever it is he's most fond of!"

Castiel says, "He does adore his black behemoth of a car quite a bit. I hear him talking about it all the time. The thing is horrible for the environment. It's fifty years old, so it must have horrible gas mileage."

"Does that mean you're in?" Balthazar asks.

<"Yes," Castiel responds, "let's proceed with this."

The three plan to meet the next week at Balthazar's house to set up and cast the curse, giving Castiel time to collect something of Dean's with which to use in the spell.

Excitment courses through Castiel's veins at the thought of what they are preparing to do. Finally, he will be getting back at Dean.


	3. Chapter 2: Hocus Pocus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel, Gabriel, and Balthazar follow through with their plan and Dean starts to worry for Castiel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if any of you know this, but writing is really difficult to do when you have three jobs, tons of homework, and kind of rough writer's block. I've decided that I'm more suited for non-fiction writing (hence pursuing agricultural communications and journalism as a major), but I'm going to try and make this work anyways. Sorry about this update taking so long. Senior year has been beating me up and has pretty much sapped any creativity I may have once had out of me. I don't know if I will be able to get on a schedule, but if I do, I'll post updates on Sundays.

### Chapter 2: Hocus Pocus

"Is everything set?" Castiel asked as he placed the final candle in the circle. The three friends all shared a look before blowing on the wicks of the candles to light them. Gabriel picked up the smudge stick and lit it on one of the candles before replacing it in the bowl.

"Are you ready for this, Cassie?" Balthazar questioned, a devilish glint in his eye. Oh how sweet vengeance can taste.

"Ready as ever," Castiel replied. The men began to chant, their voices growing as the fervor of their emotions increased.

Maybe now Dean won't be so smug and cocky when he visits Castiel's shop. What will it be that falls prey to their curse? His beloved car, the beast that spews exhaust into the air and burns up gasoline? Perhaps his voracious appetite for beef and cheese will take a hit? Or maybe some paramour that Castiel has yet to meet? Whatever it is, it is well deserved. _Ozo zu ozo, Dean._

~*~

"Hurry up, Sammy. I wanna see Cas!" Dean urged his little brother.

"I know you wanna see him, Dean. You always want to see him."

"Yeah, but today it's different, Sam."

"Different how?" Sam asks.

A grin splits Dean's face, "I'm finally gonna ask him out. You know that new place that opened up on the square? It's not totally vegan, but they have vegan options and all of their ingredients are locally sourced and organic. That sounds like the kind of thing he'd be into, right?"

"Uh yeah it does," Sam agrees confusedly, "but it _doesn't_ sound like the kind of place you'd be into."

Dean pauses outside the door of the shop, "Yeah you're right about that, but I really like him, Sammy, and I want him to like me. I want to show him that I'm gonna make an effort with him, you know?"

Sam's face softens, "Yeah, Dean, that makes sense. I'm glad you found someone that you're interested enough in to actually _make_ an effort for. You've never been like this with anyone you've liked in the past."

"Well, yeah I know," Dean says, pulling the door open, "But there's something different about Cas, something kind of _magical_. I can't really put my finger on it, but I know that I'm definitely interested."

Together, the brothers stepped into the shop. Sam went off to find the incense that Eileen likes while Dean went up to the counter to find Cas before he lost his nerve. However, instead of the beautiful blue-eyed man, a short, golden haired man stood where Cas ordinarily would.

"You must be Dean," said the man.

"Uh yeah. Where's Cas? Is he here today?"

The man frowned, "Unfortunately, no. He's been out for a few days, sick. I'm Gabriel, his friend. I'm looking after the shop until he recovers."

Dean's brow creased with worry, "Is he alright? What kind of illness is it?"

"Well, that's the thing, Dean-o. The doctors aren't sure. Whatever it is, they aren't sure he'll survive the month."

"W-what?" Dean asked, wide-eyed and afraid for the man that he loves, the man he hasn't even had a chance to really _know_ yet.

"We're doing everything to help him but-" Gabriel sighed, "Nothing has really worked yet."

Dean looked down at his shoes, struggling to hold back tears. He's always been so good at keeping his emotions locked up, just like his dad taught him to, but hearing the news about Cas made it a bit of a struggle. He never even got a chance to take him on a date. This is exactly the kind of cruel thing Dean has come to expect out of life, but he never imagined it could be so painful.

Seeing the clear emotional distress written on Dean's face and in the way he held his shoulders, Gabriel decided to give him a bit of comfort. Cassie is gonna kill him for this, if he ever gets around to healing.

"What if I give you his address? You could pay him a visit," Gabriel suggested.

Dean looked up, the lines around his eyes softening a bit, "Really? That would be great."

Gabriel nodded, scribbling an address on a piece of paper for Dean to take, "Here."

"Thank you," Dean said, a small smile ghosting his lips.

As the man went off to join his brother in the stacks, Gabriel picked up the phone. He had a call to make. Hopefully, Cassie would be less angry if he had a heads up.

~*~

Dean knocked on the door, flowers clutched tightly in his grip. He was nervous, of course. The man of his dreams lived here, ill, and maybe even dying, on the other side of that door.

After leaving Cas' shop, Dean headed straight for the farmer's market to pick up some flowers he'd remembered seeing there and some vegetables for a soup before it closed. Dean figured he couldn't make Cas chicken noodle soup, with him being vegan and all, so he settled on his mom's vegetable soup with vegetable broth for a base instead of beef broth. Dean always enjoyed cooking, but he preferred it when he was cooking for his loved ones. He actually impulse bought a vegan cookbook on Amazon a few weeks ago in the hopes that he'd eventully get to cook for Cas. Dean just wished it was under better circumstances that he would cook for him now. If Cas even let him in, which Dean was only just now beginning to consider. Crap.

Before Dean had a chance to panic any further, the door swung open revealing a pale, sickly looking Cas in a shirt that said "Tequila is vegan", what appeared to be Harry Potter pajama pants, and fuzzy bee slippers.

"Dean? What are you doing here?" Cas asked, squinting a little as if that may help him see Dean's intentions better. He remembered Gabe calling him to tell him that he'd given Dean his address, but Cas never actually thought that the man would show up.

"I, uh," Dean began, eloquently, "I brought you some flowers? They're locally grown and the paper on them is recycled. I also got some soup making supplies but I didn't actually consider that you may not let me cook for you before I bought them and drove here, but if you want some soup, I can make some, I guess."

"You did all that for me?" Cas asked, confused.

"Well, yeah. Gabriel, at your shop, said that you were sick and I was.. Well, I was worried. I'd planned to talk to you about something today and then I found at you were sick and.." Dean trailed off.

"Oh," Cas said, even more confused than before, "Well, come in then, I guess." He held the door open for Dean and their shoulders brushed as Dean passed.

"Here, I'll put the flowers in some water and show you to the kitchen. Follow me," Cas directed. Dean's concern skyrocketed when he saw the shuffling pace Castiel walked with. One of the sexiest things about him is the way he carries himself. Cas always walks with long, purposeful strides, his shoulders back, and his head up high. Now, he walks like every step causes him pain, like he's been defeated by illness. It makes the vice in Dean's chest close tighter.

Dean follows Cas into his kitchen. The whole room is bright and cheery, a stark contrast to the mood in the air. Dean watches as Cas pulls a vase decorated with bees down, out of the cabinet. He fills it with water and organizes the flowers in the container with care.

Cas turns to Dean, "You can help yourself to anything you find in here to cook with."

"Uh, thanks," Dean says, rubbing the back of his neck, "Where- uh- Where are you going to be?"

"I'll stay in here with you, if you don't mind."

Dean grins, "That'd be great, Cas"

Dean gets started cooking, falling into the rhythm of it easily. He enjoys having Cas in the room. It almost brings life to some of his more domestic fantasies about Cas. The silence is comfortable. Eventually, Cas sees fit to interrupt the silence.

"Dean?"

"Yeah, Cas?"

"You said you were planning on talking to me about something today?" Cas asks.

Dean hesitates, "Uh yeah. I-uh- was gonna ask you out, actually."

Cas is visibly confused, "You were?"

Dean turns to look at Cas and something in him softens. Cas has that squinty-eyed-head-tilt look that he gets when he's trying to figure something out. Dean's always found it endearing. It gives him the courage to elaborate.

"There's a new restaurant that opened up. It's not totally vegan, but it has vegan options, and all of the ingredients they use are organic and locally sourced. It just seemed like a place you'd be into and I'm into you so.."

A small smile graces Castiel's face and it occurs to him that he may have made a mistake.


End file.
